Category Archives: Lobbying

Governor Tomblin has called a special legislative session to handle various issues concerning Marcellus Shale drilling throughout the state. Tomblin’s administration has been meeting with stakeholders to work on a compromise. The “Joint Legislative Committee on Marcellus Shale” recently, in November, drafted a bill to regulate Marcellus drilling. Their draft increases drilling permit fees from $$5,000 to $10,000 and requires drilling sites to be more than 625 feet from a house – current regulations require only 200 feet. The permit increase is meant to increase funding for inspectors and field staff. The draft bill also requires that such inspectors be paid at least $35,000 per year. Read the rest of this entry →

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It’s that time of year: elections. We are hearing from every candidate in one way or another: yard signs, radio commercials, television ads, leaflets, fliers, door-hangers, phone calls, and the list goes on. What kind of impression are they making? What do you think about they’re latest attack ad? Do you think they’re acting like adults or children? Are you upset that they’re not sticking to the issues and instead choosing to sling mud in every direction but their own? Are you tired of the same stump-speech everywhere they go? Do you disagree with who they chose to endorse? Let them know!

Researching the role of money in state politics is the full-time job of the National Institute on Money in State Politics. You can view their overview of West Virginia for 2010 here. Browsing through their data can be quite enlightening when your curious about candidates, campaign finances, and what organizations hold the most political capital in the state. It helps explain why certain bills might get support from certain candidates, why certain lobbyists have so much access to elected officials, and the general role of money throughout the state. Listed in this article are just a few statewide highlights. All information is based on data collected and published by 10/13/2010. Read the rest of this entry →

A brand new student organization will be breaking new grounds for student advocacy in state government. Student Advocates for Legislative Achievement is a student organization which plans to lobby for student issues like textbook prices and landlord leases.